From the bestselling author of Room comes a delicious tale of secrets, betrayal and forbidden love
The Sealed Letter
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Praise for THE SEALED LETTER: "Donoghue weaves an engrossing and... quite funny melodrama about a bad, bad girl who bursts the seams of this corseted world... part "Forever Amber" and part clockwork courtroom drama, with bawdy undercurrents of forbidden love thrown in for good measure. All in all, a deliciously wicked little romp, complete with a clever twist at the end." -- "The Seattle Times"
"Emma Donoghue's triangle of real-life protagonists presents us with a quintessentially Victorian tableau...mid-Victorian London feels so real you can almost taste it." -- "Washington Post Book World""A fascinating tour de force, a brilliant unraveling of closely held secrets and brutal betrayals...A case of Dangerous Liaisons with yet another layer of Victorian outrage." -curledupwithagoodbook.com
"Donoghue blends a true case and period detail into an intriguing tale of mystery and passion."--"The Oregonian"
"Donoghue recreates grim 19th-century London -- relieved by whiffs of exotic M
Book Description
‘The Sealed Letter is a page-turner with a jaw-dropping ending’ Stylist Helen Codrington is unhappily married. Emily ‘Fido’ Faithfull hasn’t seen her once-dear friend for years. Suddenly, after bumping into Helen on the streets of Victorian London, Fido finds herself reluctantly helping Helen to have an affair with a young army officer. The women’s friendship quickly unravels amid courtroom accusations of adultery, counter-accusations of cruelty and attempted rape, and the appearance of a mysterious ‘sealed letter’ that could destroy more than one life . . . Based on a real-life scandal that gripped England in 1864, The Sealed Letter is a delicious tale of secrets, betrayal, and forbidden love. ‘Very enjoyable’ Independent on Sunday ‘Briskly written, deftly plotted and nicely ironic’ Guardian ‘Blissfully readable’ The Times
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
52 of 54 people found the following review helpful
By K. Huff
Format:Hardcover
The Sealed Letter is one of those books I just couldn't put down--and then felt bereft when I finally finished it. Set in London in 1864, the novel is loosely based on a scandalous divorce case, and features facts stranger than fiction: a stained dress (sound familiar?), fabricated evidence, and scandal more scandalous than the sensationalist novels of the period. It's a novel in which supposed friends turn against one another, in which servants even turn against those they serve.
Helen Codrington is a wife and mother, born and bred abroad, who craves some excitement in her life. Never thinking of what might happen, she embarks on an affair with Captain David Anderson. Late in the summer of 1864, Helen runs into her old friend Emily "Fido" Faithfull, a crusader for women's rights, who's surprisingly... conventional, all things considered. When Harry Codrington finds out about Helen's affair, however, the lives of these three characters change drastically. The novel's point of view vacillates between Helen, Fido, and Harry.
It's a stunning, well-written book, which explores the way in which lies affect the lives of each of these characters. It's also a fair representation of mid-Victorian mores; although it's tough for us today to understand, divorce was much, much more scandalous and socially crippling in an era that placed a focus on the family and the woman's role in that family. It's strange, too, to a modern reader, the laws that governed divorce in the 19th century (for example, the two primaries were prohibited from testifying). Each of the characters is well-written, and Donoghue gets into the minds of each of the main characters with ease. She never tries to infuse this book with a modern sensibility. It's a compelling book that I couldn't stop thinking about between sittings and after I'd finished.
My only problem with this otherwise superb novel is the fact that the letters are all written in a cursive script that's hard to read. But that's only a technicality.
Helen Codrington is a wife and mother, born and bred abroad, who craves some excitement in her life. Never thinking of what might happen, she embarks on an affair with Captain David Anderson. Late in the summer of 1864, Helen runs into her old friend Emily "Fido" Faithfull, a crusader for women's rights, who's surprisingly... conventional, all things considered. When Harry Codrington finds out about Helen's affair, however, the lives of these three characters change drastically. The novel's point of view vacillates between Helen, Fido, and Harry.
It's a stunning, well-written book, which explores the way in which lies affect the lives of each of these characters. It's also a fair representation of mid-Victorian mores; although it's tough for us today to understand, divorce was much, much more scandalous and socially crippling in an era that placed a focus on the family and the woman's role in that family. It's strange, too, to a modern reader, the laws that governed divorce in the 19th century (for example, the two primaries were prohibited from testifying). Each of the characters is well-written, and Donoghue gets into the minds of each of the main characters with ease. She never tries to infuse this book with a modern sensibility. It's a compelling book that I couldn't stop thinking about between sittings and after I'd finished.
My only problem with this otherwise superb novel is the fact that the letters are all written in a cursive script that's hard to read. But that's only a technicality.
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
'The last day of August, and the sky is the colour of hot ash. Something rancid wafts on the air from Smithfield Market; the air glitters with stone dust.'
The novel opens with Fido meeting an old friend, long missed, on Farringdon Street, near her place of work, for she is a modern, financially independent woman. They seem an unlikely pair - one a blue stocking, the other a bored and somewhat reckless married woman - but we learn they were once intimates and their friendship resumes as Fido in drawn into her friend's romantic affairs. Before long we are drawn into a scandalous court case for adultery, in which Fido is a key witness.
Emma Donoghue has made this type of historical fiction her own. The court scenes are gripping, her sensory descriptions transport us into her imagined London and her research is worn lightly. I found the novel very readable and fascinating on the early women's movement and the court case with it sealed letter is completely gripping.
The novel opens with Fido meeting an old friend, long missed, on Farringdon Street, near her place of work, for she is a modern, financially independent woman. They seem an unlikely pair - one a blue stocking, the other a bored and somewhat reckless married woman - but we learn they were once intimates and their friendship resumes as Fido in drawn into her friend's romantic affairs. Before long we are drawn into a scandalous court case for adultery, in which Fido is a key witness.
Emma Donoghue has made this type of historical fiction her own. The court scenes are gripping, her sensory descriptions transport us into her imagined London and her research is worn lightly. I found the novel very readable and fascinating on the early women's movement and the court case with it sealed letter is completely gripping.
37 of 43 people found the following review helpful
By pablo666
Format:Hardcover
I loved 'Room' for the unique way in which Donaghue managed to convey the enclosed world of its victims, and their eventual escape, with such aplomb, but felt it was a novel of two halves, flagging somewhat in its second section. Not so with 'The Sealed Letter', written before 'Room' I believe and published in Canada, a number of years ago. This is, in my opinion, the more accomplished of the two recent releases by the author, and, like 'Room' is based on real-life, actual events, this time drawn from a scandalous court case of the Victorian era. The characters and setting are brought to life with such assuredness, I found myself drawn into the intriguing tale from the outset and could not rest until the novel reached its impeccably-handled conclusion. Most effective of all is the way in which Donaghue elicits sympathy for all three of her central protagonists, using the third person to present each competing perspective on the matters and particulars of the trial itself. Cannot recommend this tome highly enough.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
Slow to start with; not a book I would recommend enthuiastically to...
I am always interested in a book based on fact, but I foun d the beginning of the book slow, and much more interesting as soon as Henry had filed his petition for divorce. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Elizabeth Prince
4.0 out of 5 stars
4 star read
Enjoyed this book, makes you realise what we take for granted these days as women, working and making our own choices!
Published 1 month ago by Sam
4.0 out of 5 stars
a novel with a certain truth about it
a story which held the interest and had an ending that was quite worth waiting for. probably better read as a book because on a kindle there is no indication of the notes at the... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Ms. G. M. Roe
1.0 out of 5 stars
Not great....
Oh dear, I really wanted to like this book. I kept reading, thinking it would turn a corner but in the end I had to abandon it (and I NEVER do that)! Read more
Published 2 months ago by MaisyP
3.0 out of 5 stars
Disappointing
Big fan of Emma Donoghue but found this to be a bit of a letdown. It is well written but the story itself was at times implausible and too slow moving.
Published 2 months ago by CNC
2.0 out of 5 stars
Struggled to finish this
This was the first Emma Donoghue novel I had read and I really didn't enjoy it.
The story was slow and I did not feel engaged with any of the characters.
The story was slow and I did not feel engaged with any of the characters.
Published 2 months ago by Jane P
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great Read
Interesting read, well written. I will certainly look for more books by this author. The plot was well developed and the characters intriguing.
Published 2 months ago by j v allen
2.0 out of 5 stars
Too slow
I very, very rarely give up on a book but I only got 35% of the way through this one. I almost gave up after 20% but plodded along with it out of hope - much like it reads. Read more
Published 3 months ago by RachelR
4.0 out of 5 stars
Very different from Room, a good take on a true story
I bought this after reading Room which was very different. I didn't realise that this was an interpretation of a true story. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Clair
2.0 out of 5 stars
The Sealed Letter
Could not get into the book at all, a bit to complicated, it was nothing like the snynopis, tried and tried but no sorry not my type of book.
Published 3 months ago by Rose Bunting
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